Cyclones win easily in NCCA tourney, lose Niang to injury

Iowa State rolled to an easy 93-75 victory over North Carolina Central last night in their opener in the NCAA basketball tournament. The Cyclones’ next game against North Carolina Sunday will be tougher as they lost Georges Niang, the game’s leading scorer with 24 points, to a broken foot.

Niang was one of five ISU players in double figures. Melvin Ejim scored 17, Dustin Hogue and Monte Morris each had 15, and DeAndre Kane added 14.

The third-seeded Cyclones shot nearly 64 percent from the floor. It’s the third straight year Iowa State has won their first NCAA tourney game and advanced. They are now 27-7 on the season.

Sunday’s game against sixth-seeded North Carolina is set for approximately 4:15 p.m. CBS.